Ohiopyle, PA

Labor Day weekend seemed to sneak up on me this year and I was suddenly faced with a long weekend and no plans. So I quickly pulled something together and the boy just went along with it.

Then, while at work on Friday I pulled something in my neck and couldn't move my head without pain. I went to the doctor and got some muscle relaxants and rested until Saturday morning when we were set to leave. So, the trip was a little more subdued, but I was well enough to hike at least.

We drove out to Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania, a big spot for white water rafting. I thought we would probably get out on the water, but with a sore neck it just didn't sound like a good idea.

When we arrived set set up camp, and made friends with a hillbilly that we named Zeek.

There was a festival going on, so John and I did some wandering and looked at pretty scares, scary confederate flag dream catchers, and ate a lot of food. We dipped our feet in the water and just hung out by the falls.

We saw a guy cooking a whole pig!!

On Sunday we did a simple hike, but it was incredibly humid and we felt like just being lazy by the water. We saw the Cascades and a lot of different colored mushrooms.

On the hike we were able to do some recon work and discovered some good climbing routes for a future trip.

After a short break we found a pretty lame waterfall, which was overrun with children. But climbing down into the little cavern and scrambling over the rocks was really fun.

Then we went back to the main falls where we watched some people white water kayaking. Only one person managed to go over the falls without flipping upside down. Luckily they all flipped themselves upright quite quickly. Having just done the white water kayak class, I know how hard it is to flip yourself back up. I can't really do it fully, so this was impressive. I will stick to flat water.

Of course around 4 it started raining so we spent a lot of time in the tent. It was still raining Monday morning so we just packed up and headed home.

Yosemite Part 2 - Red Rocks and Corlieu Falls

This post will be mostly pictures as I'm tired and I don't have a ton to say about this hike. But I'll post more over the weekend.

We initially decided on a fairly short hike for the day so we could do any other random explorations afterwards. Then we realized the Giant Sequoias were very close to that hike so we decided to do both. But those trees deserve a post all their own.

To avoid traffic in the Valley we went a bit south and took a longer route to the hike. Except it probably took us less time than the Valley. Traffic in a National Park is kind of annoying! Anyway, we were in lower mountains for awhile and John had to stop to take in the view. Sometimes being the driver sucks.

When we got to the trailhead we got all prepared to fight mountain lions and possibly bears. I ran off into the woods to pee and John had to distract and old couple who couldn't find where the trail started and were headed my way. Thanks dear!

Anyway, the trail was woodsy and along the water. We were on our way first to Red Rock Falls. Then we would backtrack slightly and head down another trail to Corlieu Falls. The Red Rocks trail was very easy but had some good sites. We saw some backcountry campsites that would have been pretty nice. At the top of the falls we found a nice roofless rock cave and jokes were made about fooling around there. We ate cherries and learned I do not spit like a man.

On the way from Red Rocks Falls to Corlieu Falls we had a display on manliness that involved breaking large pieces of wood into smaller pieces. Jumping on the wood was one tactic. You really had to be there.

The Corlieu Falls were much more impressive. And required a steep downhill, which meant a fun climb back to the top! Once at the bottom we found a cool tree, ate peaches and clif bars, and sat under the cool breeze.